Stackable-and nestable container



Oct. 8, 1968 M. A. FRATER ET A; 3,404,804

STACKABLE AND NESTABLE CONTAINER Filed Aug. 15, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet lOct. 8, 1968 M. A. FRATER ET AL 3,404,804

STACKABLE AND NESTABLE CONTAINER Filed Aug. 15, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 0a.a, 1968 M A, F'RA TER ET A; 3,404,804

STACKABLE AND NESTABLE CONTAINER Filed Aug. 15. 1966 s Sheets-Sheet 5Oct. 8, 1968 M. A. FRATER ET L STACKABLE AND NESTABLE CONTAINER 5Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 15, 1966 United States Patent 3,404,804STACKABLEL AND NESTABLE. CONTAINER Milton A. Frater and Allen H. Frater,Watertown, Wis., assignors to G. B. Lewis Company, Watertown, W1s., acorporation of Wisconsin Continuation-impart of application Ser. No.489,801, Sept. 13, 1965. This application Aug. 15, 1966, Ser. No.573,760.

13 Claims. (Cl. 220-97) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A stacking andnesting receptacle capable of being stacked and nested in verticalin-line positions in which one receptacle is movedalong a straight linepath from a full stacked elevation to a full nest position, andviceverse, relative to another like receptacle.

This is a continuation, in part, of Serial No. 489,801, filed Sept. 13,1965, now abandoned. p

This invention relates to receptacles which can be nested, stacked, andparticularly relates to containers in which multiple nesting positionscan be obtained.

A primary object of this invention is a container which can bemanipulated by short, simple and quick movements to assume either astacking position or one of several nesting positions in a novel way.

Another object is an integral open top container in which the opposedside walls are provided with means which permit like containers to befully stacked thereon, I

to be partially nested by a short longitudinal movement and to be fullynested by a short, longitudinal movement.

Another object is an open top unitary container formed of substantiallyrigid material in which various means in the side walls are formed as aseries of projections and recesses, which means permit multiple nestingpositions and stacking of an upper container on a lower like container.

Another object is an open top container which, together with a likecontainer, results in different nesting positions so that volumes ofspace may be provided between an upper container and a lower containerto accommodate. deposited items of different sizes.

Another object is an open top container having means in its side wallswhich will allow similar containers to bevariously nested, and apluralityof containers to be stacked in any desired combination withoutencountering an expected probability of instability of the stack andconsequent overbalance, toppling, or collapse of the stack ofcontainers.

Another object-is a unitary container of a substantially rigid plasticwhich can be manufactured in one operation with means in the side wallsto provide versatility of stacking and nesting with a likecontainer toaccommodate various uses, while at the same time allowing full nestingto permit storage. l 4

'Another object is an open top container in which means in the opposedside walls permit a stacking position which is essentially in line sothat unbalance is reduced in stack- 3,404,804 Patented Oct. 8, 1968 inga number of such containers together, and which means also permit apartial and a full nesting position.

Another object is a container which, together with a like container, maybe differently nested and differently stacked, both in line and offset.

Another object is a container with means in opposed walls which permit aplurality of containers to be differently nested at in line positions soas to maintain a high degree of stability.

Another object is a container in which troughs or projections in theside wall are more simply manufactured because means to effect stackingand different nesting positions are provided only along one junctionline between the trough and the side wall.

The foregoing objects are attained together with other objects whichwill become apparent from the following disclosure, which includesdrawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a sideelevational view of the container;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the container;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view along line 33 of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, along line 44 ofFIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view along the line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a schematic portion in side elevation to indicate stackingand nesting of the containers;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional portion in side elevation of an alternativeembodiment to indicate stacking and nesting of containers;

FIGURE 8 is a sectional portion in side elevation of another embodimentto indicate stacking and in line nesting of the container;

FIGURE 9 is a sectional portion in side elevation of still anotheralternative embodiment which is adapted for in line nesting with anothercontainer;

FIGURE 10 is a side view in longitudinal section, similar to FIGURE 3,of a variant form;

FIGURE 11 is a further modification; and FIGURE 12 is a differentposition of the container in FIGURE 11.

The container shown in FIGURES 1-3 is generally an open top containerhaving spaced side walls, indicated generally at 10 and 12, and a rearend wall 14. At least two walls diverge relative to each other to permitnesting of the containers. Preferably, all the opposed walls divergerelative to each other to some degree to facilitate nesting. Theillustrated box is shown with a hopper front defined by the reducedfront wall 16. A continuous flange, or down-turned skirt 18, is shownaround the top edges of the respective walls. A floor panel 20 connectsthe bottom edges of the respective walls.

The opposed side walls 10 and 12 are seen to have a pair of slantingtroughs formed therein. Side wall 10 has troughs shown generally at 22and 22a, while side wall 12 has troughs shown generally at 23 and 23a.All the troughs slant in the same general way towards one of the endwalls in the container. The construction of all such side troughs may beidentical and, therefore, description of one side trough will applyequally to the other troughs.

Each trough has an open end 30 and a closed end 32. Each trough has anoutside portion, such as 34, which projects relative to the side wall,such as 10, and an inside portion 36, which is recessed relative to aside wall, such as 12. Theinside andoutsideportions of each trough arepartially defined by a substantially linear junction line 38 between thetrough and the side wall, and by an irregular junction line showngenerally at 39 between the trough and the side wall. The open ends ofthe troughs join an upper ledge or stacking point, such as 40, in sidewall 12 and 42 in side wall 10. These ledges, or stacking points, areused to support the outside closed ends, such as 32, of a trough in alike upper container in stacking position. 1

Further details of such slanting troughs are illustrated in FIGURES 4and 5. It will be seen that the closed end 32 of each trough isgenerally coincidental with the floor of the container. It is also seenthat the irregular junction line is partly defined by a plurality oflateral steps or stops such as 43 and 44, the upper surfaces of whichform vertical in line seating areas. The closed end 32, the lateralstops 43 and 44 and the ledge 40 represent successive stops from top tobottom which are staggered relative to one another, the upper surfacesof said lateral stops, and ledge 40, forming upwardly facing loadbearing surfaces, and the lower surfaces of said lateral stops, andclosed end 32, forming downwardly facing load bearing surfaces. Eachsuccessively higher stop is shown displaced further towards the rearwall. The rearward displacement or stagger of successively higher stopsleads to vertical in line nesting of two or more containers when theirrespective troughs are engaged. Stop 43 has a leading end 43a relativeto the linear junction line 38 and a trailing end 43b more remote fromsaid linear junction line 38. Likewise stop 44 has a leading end 44a anda trailing end 44b. A substantially linear portion 46 connects leadingend 43a of stop 43 and trailing end 32a of closed bottom 32;substantially linear portion 47 connects leading end 440 of stop 44 andtrailing end 4312 of stop 43; and substantially linear portion 48connects trailing end 441) of stop 44 and terminating portion 49 of stop40. Each of the foregoing stop portions, together with theirsubstantially linear connecting portions, have outside projections andinside recesses in the same relative manner described for the troughsgenerally. Reference to such portions also implies reference to thecorresponding recessed and projecting portions.

Each of the stops is shown provided with openings 32c, 43c and 440. Suchopenings are adapted to interlock with projections, or lugs, such as 51,positioned immediately adjacent the open ends, or such as 52, spacedaway from the open ends to form a locking connection when the opening ofone receptacle engages the lug of another receptacle.

The containcrs of FIGURES 13 are adapted to be stacked vertically inline or, optionally, stacked offset and at an angle. The offset, anglestacking is attained by providing additional locking lugs, such as 52and 52a, spaced rearwardly from lugs 51 and 51a (FIGURE 3). The offsetstacking will occur when the closedends 32 of troughs in an uppercontainer are seated on the supporting ledges 40, and when the openings320 in such closed ends interlock with the rearwardly spaced lockinglugs 52 and 52a. To accommodate such offset stacking, the rear end wall14 may have a rear drop indicated at 53. The rear drop 53 representsclearance for the bottom of the container 20 and cannot exceed theheight of the supporting ledge 40 when the bottom of the container is inone plane. It will be clear that the bottom 20 of an upper containerwill be seated on flange 18 at the top of the rear wall with properaccommodation resulting from the rear drop. To more securely position anupper container in such offset angle stacking, a spacing, such as 57,may be provided towards the top of each side wall adjacent to thesupporting ledge 40. The angle stacking may be effected by propping alowermost container against a supporting structure in a desired angularposition. An angular holder may be also devised to support the bottom 20of a container at a desired angular position.

The schematicillustration of FIGURE 6 indicates the manner in which thecorresponding portions of a trough in a like upper container registerwith corresponding portions in a lower container, and how th openings inthe stops interlock with the lugs at the supporting ledge. Theprojecting outside surface of the trough in an upper container,indicated schematically at 60, is shown in the maximum nesting positionwithin the inner surface of the trough of the lower container.

Thus, closed end 62 of the upper trough is shown seated on a stop 43 andstop 63 of upper trough is shown seated on stop 44 of the lower trough.Stop 64 of the upper trough is seated on support point or ledge of thelower cntainer, and opening 640 in stop 64 is shown interlocked with lug51a. It will beseen that in this fully nested position substantiallylinear junction line 38 of the lower trough is spaced in a generallyparallel manner from corresponding linear junction line 68 of the uppertrough. Such spacing, in fact, accommodates a generally longitudinalshift of an upper container after the projecting surface of an uppertrough is engaged with the recessed surface of a lowertrough. At thebeginning of the shift, substantially linear junction lines 38 and 68will be closely positioned, and at the end of the longitudinal shift,the respective lateral stops of the upper andlower troughs will beengaged. It will be clear that an upper container can be partiallynested in the lower container by simply engaging closed end 62 of anupper trough with lateral stop 44 in the lower trough. Such anengagement will be characterized by lateral stop 63 engaging supportingledge 40 and opening 63c interlocking with the lug 51a. It will beremembered that while the various nesting relationships are describedfor a selected trough in both an upper and lower container likeengagements are occurring with the other troughs in the upper and lowercontainers.

FIGURE 6 also illustrates how the upper container 60, shown in phantom,can be fully stacked upon the lower container at an offset position.Here, closed end 62 engages supporting ledge 40, while opening 620interlocks with lug 52a. The upper container will be fully stacked byclosed end 32 engaging ledge 40 and opening 32c interlocking with lug51. Again, it will be remembered that this represents a single stackingpoint. When the container illustrated in FIGURES 1-6 is stacked uponanother container, there will be four such stacking points to providethe requisite stacking stability.

The alternative embodiment shown in FIGURE 7 provides additionalstability when the containers are fully nested, and also allows acombination of stacking and nesting with a number of containers. A majorslanting trough, shown generally at 73, has an adjoining minor slantingtrough shown generally at 74. Major trough 73 has a closed end 82 withopening 820; a lower lateral stop 83 with an opening 830; and an upperlateral stop 84 with opening 840. Minor slanting trough 74 is shownspaced alongside trough 73 and is slanted in the same way, or direction.Trough 74 is connected by supporting ledge portion 90 to trough 73.Ledge support portion 90 is shown as having a locking lug-91 immediatelyadjacent the open end of the major trough. Another locking lug 92 isshown immediately adjacent open end 94 of the minor trough. When a likeupper container is fully nested in the lower container, the slantingtrough, generally designated 103, will enter the recessed surface ofmajor trough 73, and minor trough 104 of the upper container will beseated on supporting ledge portion 105. Opening 106 in lateral stop 107will then interlock with lug 92 Lateral stops 112 and 113 in majortrough 103 will engage corresponding'stops 83 and 84 in lower trough 73.At the same time, lateral stop 114 in major trough 103 will be seated onledge portion and opening 1140 will interlock with lug 91. In thepartially nested position, stop 112 of the upper trough will engagestop84 in the lower, and stop 113 will engage supporting ledge 90 in thelower,

while at the same time opening 113a will interlock with lug 91. In sucha partial nesting position, minor slanting trough 104 will be disengagedfrom supporting ledge portion 105 and locking lug 92. When an uppercontainer is fully nested in a lower container, a third container may befully stacked on the container fully nested in the lowermost container.This may be the in-line stacking where closed end 122 sits on ledge 115aand opening 122c interlocks with lug 116a immediately adjacent open end80.

The third container may also be stacked in an offset position on theintermediate container as shown. Here, the closed end 122 of theslanting trough 123 will be seated on supporting ledge portion 115 ofthe intermediate container, and opening 1220 in the uppermost containerwill be interlocked with locking lug 116 of the intermediate container.Such containers will have the rear drop to ac commodate the ofiFsetstacking.

The alternative embodiment shown in FIGURES 8 and 9 of the drawing alsolead to in-line nesting of the container, whether partialor maximum.Such forms provide positive selection of a desired nesting position froma point above a lower container, whereas the form of FIG- URES 1-6 areadapted for positive longitudinal positioning. In FIGURE 8, the slantingtrough is in a container 126, and has a substantially linear junctionline 127 and an irregular junction line shown generally as 128. Thetrough has an open end at 129 and a closed end 130. The foregoing troughis formed similarly as in previous embodiments in that the trough has anoutside projecting surface and an inside recessed surface. Also, aplurality of slanting troughs are preferably placed in each side wall.

The open end 129 of the trough adjoins the supporting ledge 131 which isshown on a rise 132 immediately adjacent to the open end. The rise 132has a slanting surface 133 which slants at a corresponding angle to thesubstantially linear line of the trough. Spaced rearwardly from rise 132is a second rise or abutment 134 which has a slanting surface 135.Surfaces 133 and 135 of the rises are used as abutting surfaces for thebottom portions of troughs represented by linear junction line 127 in alike upper container.

The irregular junction line has a lower lateral stop 136 and an upperlateral stop 137. Lower lateral stop 136 is spaced laterally from closedend 130 by a minor lateral portion 138 which is raised relative tolateral stop 136. Linear line 139 connects the leading end of lateralportion 138 to the trailing end of closed end 130, and linear line 140connects the trailing end of lateral portion 138 and the leading end oflateral stop 136. Minor lateral portion 138 and connecting lines 139,140 partially enclose a space 141 adapted to accommodate a minor lateralportion in an underlying container in nesting or partially nestingpositions. Upper minor lateral portion 142 laterally spaces stops 136and 137, and such portion is raised relative to upper lateral stop 137.Linear lines 143 and 144 respectively connect the upper minor portion tostops 137 and 136. Minor portion 142 and connecting lines 143, 144partially enclose accommodating space 145. A like upper trough indicatedgenerally at 150 is shown fully nested in the lower trough. Closed end151 is seated on lower stop 136, lower stop 152 is seated in upper stop137, space 153 accommodates minor portion 142, and space 154accommodates rise 132. It is seen'that upper stop 155 is dimensioned tosit on supporting ledge 131 securely between rear rise 134 andabuttingsurface 133 of rise 132. It will be realized that trough 150could be partially nested by closed end 151 engaging stop 137 wherebyupper stop 152 would engagesupporting ledge 131 and space 153 wouldaccommodate rise 132. The container with trough 150 has a rise 156 and asupporting ledge 157. A third trough shown generally as 160 is seenstacked on the fully nested. container represented by trough 150. Closedend 161 is seated in ledge 157 and abutting a slanting surfaceofrise156.v 1 v M t The trough in FIGURE 9.is an alternative embodimentwhich also permits a positive selection of in-line nesting. The troughhas a substantially linear junction line 170, an irregular junction lineshown generally as 171, a closed end 172 and an open end 173. Asupporting ledge 174 is at the open end and a rise 175 is immediatelyadjacent the open end. Another rise 176 is spaced away from the open endto permit offset stacking, as before. The irregular junction line haslower lateral stop 177 and upper lateral stop 178. Connecting lines 179and 180 are joined at 181 and respectively join leading and trailingends of stops 178 and 177. Each connecting line partially encloses atriangular space 182 which represents a separating portion between stops177 and 178. Likewise, connecting lines 183, 184 are joined at 185 atone of their ends, and their other ends respectively join leading end ofstop 177 and trailing end of closed end 172. Connecting lines 183, 184partially enclose triangular space or separating portion 186. It will beseen that junction point 181 and rise 175 define an open end 18 7 whichleads to stop 178 and junction points 181 and 184 define and open end188 which leads to stops 17. These are the operable open ends forselecting full or partial nesting positions. In a full or maximum nest,for example, connecting lines 179, 180 will be accommodated within aseparating portion equivalent to 185 in an upper container. In thisembodiment, the plurality 0f p nd 187-188 are aligned substantially withthe supporting ledge 174, and this provides convenience in positivelyselecting one of the open ends for selective full or partial nesting.The rise 175 is used to abut the bottom of closed end of troughcorresponding to linear junction line 170 to effect an in-line stack,and rise 176 is used for the offset stacking-at an angle or otherwise;

In FIGURE 10, we have shown a variant form in which a channed orclearway 200, similar to the trough 74in FIGURE 7, is provided behindeach of the main troughs. The shorter trough 200, however, differs fromthe FIG- URE 7 form in that it is made large enough to accept the lowerexterior of the main trough of a like container, as shown at 202 inFIGURE 10. Thus in addition to stacking at an angle in the full stackposition with the projections 204 interlocked with an opening in thebottom of the main trough, the upper container can be partially nestedin an offset position. For this purpose the rear wall is cut down as at206, so that the rear of the upper container may pass through andoverhang somewhat. It will be understood that this offset or slantpartial nesting can also be used with the forms in FIGURES 8 and 9.

In FIGURE 11, a further variant has been shown in which only one step orintermediate supporting surface 208 is provided so that two suchcontainers have a nesting position, as shown in FIGURE 11, and a fullstack position, as shown in FIGURE 12. We may also provide a reartrough, such as at 202 in FIGURE 10,'behind each of the main troughs inFIGURE 11 so that the upper container could be nested vertically as inFIGURE 11, or at a slant or offset.

In FIGURE 10, the rear wall is cut down as at 206 to accommodate theoverhang of an upper container. This also provides access to thecontents of the container through the rear when two or more such boxesare in their full stack positions. In those forms where'we do notprovide the offset partial nest with the partial rear troughs 200, therear wall might be cut down so that access would be provided. Forexample in the FIGURE 3 form the rear wall might also be cut down toprovide such access, even 1 though in the form shown in FIGURE 3 it doesnot partially nest in a slant or offset position. We might also cut therear wall down somewhat in the forms of FIG- URES 7 through 9 and 11.

The forms of FIGURES 11 and 12 provide only two positions, full stackand partial nest, while the forms of FIGURES 1 through 3 have threepositions, full stack partial nest and full nest. The point is that wecan provide any number of intermediate nesting positions between fullstack and full nest. I

7 The use and operation of the invention are as follows:

The containers of this invention are unusually versatile in that theycan be handled, stacked nested, and otherwise manipulated. Suchcontainers are preferably formed as integral units which permiteconomical manufacturing with appropriate materials. The material of thecontainer maybe any substantially rigid material or materials suitablefor the intendedend use of the container, and may be molded, cast,formed or fabricated by known techniques. Rigid polyethylene may be usedto form containers adapted for ordinary uses and demands, while strongerplastics, such as fiberglass reinforced polyester, may be used to makecontainers which will be exposed to more severe uses. In any event, itis an advantage that containers can be molded or cast in one operationwith all the features included for permitting multiple stacking andnesting.

The containers may be selectively stacked vertically in-line or at anoffset position. The vertical in-line stacking is highly desirablebecause many containers can be vertically stacked without incurringlikelihood of the stack toppling or collapsing. The stacking isdesirably accomplished by engaging the closed ends of the slantingtroughs with support points preferably located adjacent the top edges ofthe side walls. The slanting position of the troughs is .an importantfeature in that a plurality of containers may be nested verticallyin-line. While a generally continuous supporting ledge has been shown,it should be understood that various other stacking points could beprovided, such as a plurality of interrupted ledges, rodlikeprojections, and the like. It is preferred, of course, to provide anintegral unit with a supporting ledge integrally formed; however it willbe realized that supporting points could be removably mounted near thetop edges by providing appropriate keyways in the side walls and havingremovable supporting members with appropriate key slots to engage thekeyways. Other variations will occur to those familiar with this art.

It is an important 'feature of this invention that locking points areprovided to obtain a more secure stack or nest of a plurality ofcontainers. The locking points have been preferably shown to compriseopenings in the stops or closed ends of the troughs which engagecorrespondingly dimensioned locking lugs spaced on the supporting ledge.Equivalent locking points could, however, be provided such as coactinggrooves and cylindrical projections, or the like. Throughout thisdisclosure, reference has been made to the bottom lateral portion of thetrough as having a closed end. It will be understood that such termincludes the meaning of being a substantially closed end which mayinclude a locking point that may be an opening, a recess, groove or thelike. The recess form will be desirable if liquids or comminutedmaterials are deposited within the container.

Full stacking is desired when substantially the entire space of thecontainer is utilized by placing therein any desired items. Stacking canbe obtained with a plurality of upper troughs engaging linear stackingpoints near the edges of the walls. Opposed walls may be provided withjust one trough if desired, although such troughs should be preferablyoffset relative to each other to provide a more stable stack. A numberof such containers can be stacked to a desired height for shipping suchitems, or merely storing them. The offset angular stacking may also bedesired for storing or shipping but, additionally, it may be used topartially expose the items in the containers. Such an exposure mayinclude merchandising where loaves of bread, for example, can bedeposited in the containers. When several containers are slanted, loavesmay be withdrawn from a hopper front, for example, whereupon the loavesoriginally placed towards the back of the containers will slide to thefront. When one container is empty, it may be removed so an underlyingcontainer may become accessible for removal of its contents. A hopperfront in such a container is useful for this purpose and it should beunderstood that the front wall could be otherwise modi- 8 fied.Modifications may also be fashioned with the rear wall and the sidewalls so long as some walls are diverged relative to each other topermit nesting and to provide room for the side troughs.

The multiple nesting positions permit changes in the available spacewithin a container. The fully nested position has also been referred toherein as the maximum nesting position. In the illustrated forms, thelower lateral stops define the depth of such maximum nesting which areattained without jamming the container. In the stacking position, ofcourse, substantially the entire volume of the container is availablefor depositing items. It may be desired that only a portion of suchavailable space be set aside and this is accomplished by partiallynesting two or more containers. The form of FIGURES 1-6 will illustratethat the irregular junction line of the troughs may be considered ashaving three stops: the supporting ledge 40, the upper lateral stop 44and the lower lateral stop 43. The upper and lower lateral stops may beconveniently referred to as respectively dividing the height of thecontainer at a one-third and a two-third position. The distance betweenthe fioor of the container and the lower lateral stop would representthe final third. The fully nested position may also be convenientlyreferred to as a two-thirds nesting in that the closed end and the lowerlateral stop of a lower lateral trough in an upper containerrespectively engage lower and upper lateral stops in a lower trough. Thepartially nested position may be conveniently referred to as a one-thirdnesting in that the closed end and the lower lateral stop of an uppertrough respectively engage the upper lateral stop of a lower trough andthe supporting ledge of a lower container. In this partial, or one-thirdnesting position, approximately twothirds of the original containervolume remains available. Such a volume may be desirable for holdingsmalleritems. For example, the containers may be dimensioned so thatsubstantially the entire volume is available for holding smaller bakerygoods, such as sweet rolls. It will be realized that in a givenavailable storage area, many containers could be partially nested toprovide many more tiers for storing sweet rolls than would be possiblewith the stacked positions.

The versatile provision of multiple nesting positions is obtained withthe same means which permit vertical inline stacking and offset anglestacking. Such means are not complex in their design so as to involveexpensive and complicated manufacturing procedures. It will be notedthat the recessed and projecting portions along the linear junction lineare essentially unmodified and the multiple nesting positions areeffected essentially by the lateral stops along the irregular junctionline. The troughs are formed so that they perform secure positioningwhether in a fully nested position, a partially'nested position, or anyone of the stacking positions.

While means have been shown in the slanting troughs for allowing twonesting positions, it will be recognized that this could be modifiedwithin the space available in the side walls. More particularly, aplurality of lateral stops could be provided at the irregular junctionline to permit a corresponding number of partially nested positions. Forconvenience of illustration, the disclosure referred to one-third andtwo-third nesting, but this could likewise be one-fourth, one-half,three-fourths, and the like. It will further be noted that no matterwhich one of several partial nest conditions is desired, the movementsinvolved in nesting are straight line or unidirectional motions, so eachtrough structure 22, 22a, 23, 2311, etc., is unidirectional in the sensethat it cooperates with a similar trough structure in a similarreceptacle to guide the upper one of two such receptacles in aunidirectional, diagonally downward direction into a vertical in'-linenested position.

The forms of FIGURES 8 and 9 show that the lateral stops may be spacedfrom one another rather than be in a direct stepwise configuration. Theseparating positions 9. between the lateral stops may take various formssuch as the short box-like form of FIGURE 8, the elongated triangularform of FIGURE 9 and other forms which will differently space. thetroughs and provide different open ends. The forms of FIGURES Sand 9allow an upper container" to be positively nested from a point above-thelower container or substantially vertical positioning. Such .a nestingoperation may be more convenient for certain operations such as amechanized or automated overhead operation remotely controlled, forexample, an overhead track in a bakery assembly.

One of the advantages of the disclosed structure is in the motion thatthe units are stacked and nested. For example, referring to the fullnest position such as shown in FIGURE 6, the upper unit 60 can beunnested by a simple unidirectional raising motion with the rearslanting surfaces of the irregular wall 39 automatically camming itforward. The interlock projections and holes will automaticallydisengage as the upper container is raised and cammed forward. Thus, thestructure will provide, first, .an automatic unlock when you lift theupper container and, second, an automatic cam forward, say, in a 45 to60 direction. This is also true when two or more containers are in theirone-third nest positions. When in the stacked position, either directvertical stack or the offset stack using projection 52, the upper unitonly has to be raised to unlock.

When two such units are to be either partially nested or fully nested,the upper container can merely be lowered down and moved rearwardly intothe lower container until the slanting surfaces in the staggered wall 39match.

Thus, the movements required to either stack, nest, or partially nest orpartially unstack an upper container relative toa lower one are simple,straight line motions, and do not require a complex coordination ofvectored type motions. The personnel using such containers, for examplethe operators of bakery trucks, will quickly take to them since theywill not tend to jam, cock, and stubbornly refuse to unnest or nest. Allof the above is equally applicable to the forms in FIGURES 7, 8, and 9.

Also, in the full stack position the units will be horizontallyinterlocked which will prevent an upper unit from slipping eitherforward or backward on a lower one. This is also true in the partialnest or full nest positions.

It will also be noted that such containers may be fully nested,partially nested and fully stacked without one container having to berotated either partially or fully relative to the other.

The foregoing invention can now be practiced, and such practitionerswill know that the invention is not necessarily restricted to theparticular embodiments presented herein. The scope of the invention toto be defined by the terms of the following claims as given meaning bythe preceding description.

We claim:

1. In a stacking and nesting type receptacle,

wall and bottom means forming an upwardly open receptacle, and

means for receiving a like receptacle in a vertical inline stackedposition and a vertical in-line nested position,

said means including unidirectional, sloped trough structure in the wallmeans for guiding an upper one of two such receptacles in aunidirectional, diagonally downward direction into the vertical inlinenested position,

said unidirectional sloped trough structure having a vertical stackseating area associated with its upper end,

said unidirectional, sloped trough structure having a vertical nestseating area at an elevation beneath the upper end of said troughstructure which is disposed in vertical alignment with the verticalstack seating area.

10 2. The receptacle of claim 1 further including means adapted to forma locking connection with associated means on a similar, upwardlylocated receptacle to maintain a vertical in-line relationship of thetwo receptacles with respect to one another. V

3. The receptacle of claim 1 further characterized in that said troughstructure includes a generally downwardly facing load bearing surfaceand a generally upwardly facing load bearing surface, said upwardlyfacing load bearing surface being adapted to receive, in load bearingrelationship, the generally downwardly facing load bearing surface of asimilar upwardly located receptacle in vertical in-line relationshipsaid upwardly facing and downwardly facing load bearing surfaces in thesame receptacle being at different elevations with respect to oneanother. 4. The receptacle of claim 3 further including means adapted toform a locking connection with associated means on a similar, upwardlylocated receptacle to maintain a vertical in-line relationship of thetwo receptacles with respect to one another. 5. The receptacle of claim2 further characterized in that the means adapted to form a lockingconnection comprises structure, associated with the uppermost upwardlyfacing load bearing surface, adapted to contact mating structureassociated with a downwardly facing load bearing surface on a similar,upwardly located receptacle in generally vertical abutting engagement.6. The receptacle of claim 5 further characterized, firstly, in that thestructure associated with the uppermost upwardly facing load bearingsurface is a projection which extends above the load bearing surface,and secondly, in that the mating structure associated with a downwardlyfacing load bearing surface on a similar, upwardly located receptacle isan opening of a size sufiicient to receive a projection on a downwardlylocated receptacle in abutting relationship therewith. 7. The receptacleof claim 3 further characterized in that the trough means includes aplurality of generally upwardly facing load bearing surfaces and thesame number of generally downwardly facing load bearing surfaces, theuppermost generally upwardly facing load bearing surface being locatedat a higher elevation, with respect to the bottom means, than thehighest generally downwardly facing load bearing surface, and thelowermost generally downwardly facing load hearing surface being locatedat a lower elevation, with respect to the bottom means, than the lowestgenerally upwardly facing load bearing surface. 8. The receptacle ofclaim 7 further including means adapted to form a locking connectionwith associated means on a similar, upwarly located receptacle tomaintain a vertical in-line relationship of the two receptacles withrespect to one another. 9. The receptacle of claim 1 furthercharacterized in that each of two opposing wall means has twounidirectional, sloped trough structures spaced longitudinally from eachother. h10. The receptacle of claim 9 further characterized in t at eachunidirectional, sloped trough structure has two vertical nest seatingareas disposed in vertical alignment with the vertical stack seatingarea to thereby provide full stack, partial nest, and full nestpositions. 11. The receptacle of claim 10 further characterized in thatthe vertical nest seating areas in each trough structure are generallyequally spaced between the top and bottom of the receptacle.

12. The receptacle of claim lflfurther including an additionalunidirectional, sloped trough structure in the wall means which isshorter in depth than, and spaced longitudinally from, an associatedsloped trough structure, said additional unidirectional, sloped troughstructure being of a size sufiicient to receive the lowermost end of alonger sloped trough structure in an upper, similar receptacle wherebytwo such receptacles can be nested in offset vertical relation. 13. Thereceptacle of claim l further including an additional vertical stackseating area which is spaced longitudinally from the first mentionedvertical stack 1 2 v 4 seating area to thereby enable two suchreceptacles to be stacked in off-setavertical relation.

7 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,052,373 9/1962 Frater 220-973,113,680 12/1963 Prater 220- 97 3,219,232 11/1965 Wilson 220 97

